CES a showcase for smart devices

CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW

Updated 8:25 pm, Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Sony's 84-inch XBR LED television attracts a fan who takes pictures of the TV image with a cell phone.

Sony's 84-inch XBR LED television attracts a fan who takes pictures of the TV image with a cell phone.

Photo: Jae C. Hong, Associated Press

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Intel Corp. displays tablet computers at its booth at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Intel Corp. displays tablet computers at its booth at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Photo: Andrew Harrer, Bloomberg

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People try out the LG Smart Oven, which is controlled by a cell phone, on display at the show.

People try out the LG Smart Oven, which is controlled by a cell phone, on display at the show.

Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images

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LAS VEGAS, NV - JANUARY 08: A Sony 3-D movie is seen reflected in an attendee's glasses during the 2013 International CES at the Las Vegas Convention Center on January 8, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada. CES, the world's largest annual consumer technology trade show, runs from January 8-11 and is expected to feature 3,100 exhibitors showing off their latest products and services to about 150,000 attendees. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) less

LAS VEGAS, NV - JANUARY 08: A Sony 3-D movie is seen reflected in an attendee's glasses during the 2013 International CES at the Las Vegas Convention Center on January 8, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada. CES, the ... more

Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images

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Thanks all the same, Panasonic, but I don't want a 20-inch tablet — because who wants to carry around a TV?

Thanks all the same, Panasonic, but I don't want a 20-inch tablet — because who wants to carry around a TV?

Photo: Julie Jacobson, Associated Press

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The Dish mascot Hopper entertains show attendees at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013.

The Dish mascot Hopper entertains show attendees at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013.

Photo: Jae C. Hong

CES a showcase for smart devices

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Las Vegas -- At the International Consumer Electronics Show here this week, "smart" is the word.

From kitchen appliances to TVs to cars to robots, Internet-connected devices of all types are getting a lot of buzz. And some of them, like Bluetooth-enabled cutlery and toothbrushes, actually buzz.

The $99 Hapifork from Hong Kong's Hapilabs is supposed to help people slow down while they chow down, sort of like Mom used to do by yelling at you for eating too fast.

The fork has a sensor that monitors the rate at which you bring food into your mouth. If you're going too fast, it will gently vibrate. It's set for 10-second intervals, but you can change it to suit your taste.

The Hapifork also sends the data to a mobile phone app so you can chart your eating habits.

"What is important is you take enough time to chew the food well," said Fabrice Boutain, Hapilabs CEO and founder. "There was a study in the United States in 2006 showing that people eating more slowly will eat 11 percent less calories. So this is how we can help us lose weight."

The fork comes with a coaching program and a social and family game "so people can enjoy and learn how to eat more slowly together," he said.

Boutain, a former French pole vaulter who still looks fit and trim, conceded that the pricey smart fork is not for everyone. "Right now, it's really to help people who want to change their habits, who want to take control of their health," he said.

The company plans to raise funds through a Kickstarter campaign in February and have the Hapifork in eaters' hands during the second quarter.

Bluetooth brush: When you've finished eating, you have to brush your teeth. That's when a Bluetooth toothbrush from Beam Technologies of Louisville, Ky., could come in handy.

The $50 Beam also senses and records when and how long you brush, beaming that data to a website and an iPhone or Android app so you can keep track of your dental hygiene habits.

Beam CEO Alex Frommeyer said people are supposed to brush two minutes a day, twice a day, but "very few people do."

The startup saw a market for digital dental products to help people meet that goal. Also, Frommeyer believes dental insurance companies may like the idea of "gamifying" brushing teeth as part of an overall program to reduce dental costs. He said the company recently began field trials with two big dental health insurers, Humana and Delta Dental.

Smart cars, homes: Ford Motor Co. is spearheading an unusual collaboration with home appliance, renewable energy and power management companies to get American homeowners to use electricity more efficiently.

On Tuesday, Ford announced the formation of MyEnergi Lifestyle, teaming with appliance maker Whirlpool, energy companies Eaton and SunPower, and semiconductor firm Infineon. Also in the group is Nest Labs, the Palo Alto maker of a high-tech home thermostat.

To be sure, all of those companies have a vested interest in selling their products, and Ford still sells far more gasoline-powered cars than hybrid or plug-in electric vehicles like the C-Max Energi.

But Ford executive Mike Tinskey said the automaker noticed trends while researching power-grid information to help customers who bought its plug-in cars to lower their home energy bills. He said Ford sees that database as the start of something bigger.

Ford worked with Georgia Tech researchers on a computer model that calculated the energy use of an average-sized home in San Jose.

The researchers then applied variables, such as the homeowner replacing one of two gasoline-powered cars with a plug-in car and buying new home appliances that shift heavy use to discounted, off-peak electricity hours, typically between midnight and 5 a.m.

Plugging into that Georgia Tech database could, for example, help refrigerator makers design more efficient products that run power-eating defrost and ice-maker cycles "in the middle of the night when the rates are lower," Tinskey said.

The researchers predicted that a typical American family could cut energy costs by 60 percent and see a 55 percent reduction in its carbon footprint.

Appliances, iPhone case: Connectivity is one of the main reasons smartphones and tablets became blockbuster hits, and tech manufacturers are working to bring that feature to other, nondigital household items.

LG Electronics has rolled out a line of smart appliances that can connect to and be controlled by smartphones or smart televisions. The smart appliances include a refrigerator, an oven, a vacuum robot and a washer. For example, a smart TV can be used to pause a wash cycle.

Another product getting an upgrade is the smartphone case. The new Sensus iPhone case incorporates a processor and sensors that add touch-screen sensitivity to the back and sides of the iPhone, not just its screen.

Day of the 'Droid: Google's already ubiquitous Android software is making the leap to rice cookers and refrigerators as manufacturers vie to dominate the market for gadgets controlled via the Internet.

Extending its free operating system to new devices could let Google collect more data to build its lucrative search business and one-up software rivals Microsoft and Apple. Android also is an easy to-use platform that helps appliance makers like Samsung and Philips add features and benefit from demand for Internet-connected devices, a market IDC predicts will reach more than $2 trillion in 2015.

TV that watches you: In the not-so-distant future, couch potatoes will be waving, pointing, swiping and tapping to make their TVs react, kind of like what Tom Cruise did in the 2002 movie "Minority Report." That's the vision of TV manufacturers as they show off smart TVs this week.

The sets will recognize who's watching and will try to guess what viewers want to see. They'll respond to natural speech and will connect with your smartphone in a single touch.

But don't worry about Big Brother looking back at you. Manufacturers such as Samsung will allow motion-capturing cameras to be turned away.

Gesture recognition still has a way to go, however. And in some demonstrations, voice commands got lost in translation.

Bloomberg News and Chronicle news services contributed to this report.

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